Danny Casner
DNA sequencing of Marmota caligata stomach contents through metabarcoding
UAF Senior
B.S. Wildlife Biology and Conservation
Danny is a 2024 Fall Student Project Award Recipient.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Diana Wolf, Associate Professor of Biology, Danny's project aims to research marmot stomach contents through DNA analysis in order to see if their diet and microbiome change with habitat.
As herbivores, marmots are vulnerable to habitat change in relation to food availability. While their habitat has historically been alpine tundra, as the climate warms, there is concern over what marmots will subsist on when the vegetation changes. This semester, Danny and Dr. Wolf have used DNA analysis of stomach contents to determine what marmots are eating, both in their normal high-elevation habitat, and in lower elevations where they are now observed more often. Understanding if and how marmots may adopt to new food sources could inform how marmots will adapt in the future to a changing climate.
How is your project going so far this semester?
Our project is going really well! We just finished running polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a process used to create copies of DNA strands for study, and confirmed we successfully extracted DNA samples from our frozen marmot stomachs. I've really enjoyed getting to work in the lab environment with my mentor, Dr. Diana Wolf, and we're moving along on our schedule. Getting to work on museum samples as an undergraduate is such an honor, and both my project mentor and our liaison at the museum (Dr. Link Olson) have been super encouraging and positive to work with. It's really inspiring to get to work on such groundbreaking work as an undergraduate- no one's used DNA analysis to do dietary analysis for Alaska marmots yet!
How did you find out about URSA and what encouraged you to submit an application for funding?
I was previously involved with another student project through the Wildlife Society, and several of our fellow club members were URSA veterans and strongly encouraged me. Bree Smith, in particular, URSA's student ambassador and the Wildlife Society President, was a big influence in encouraging me to apply, as was Dr. Wolf, my URSA mentor. I also was motivated by examples from other students; our old Wildlife Society student chapter president, Sarah Dempsey, was a big URSA proponent and went straight from undergraduate to her PHD in a large part thanks to her URSA projects. I've felt really lucky to get a chance to participate in URSA and can't encourage others enough to try!
How does your URSA project relate to your career or personal goals?
My URSA project is entirely lab based, which is great for my personal career path, as I've got a good amount of field experience but relatively limited lab experience prior to this project (and pretty much none outside the classroom). Getting to work with real museum samples, on a first-of-it's kind study, is such an amazing opportunity, and I feel very grateful to my URSA mentor, and the whole URSA team, for the chance to do so. In addition to rounding out my skillset, it's also really helpful for graduate school applications, as our undergraduate research program is a great leg up for those.
If you could share one piece of advice with students interested in pursuing URSA in the future, what would you say?
Definitely go for it! The ability to do groundbreaking research in your chosen field (or just find out if doing research is what you want to be doing!) is such a great opportunity as an undergrad. I also hear it looks good on your CV when you're applying to graduate schools. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask around! The URSA events are also great opportunities to connect with mentors looking for researchers! The mixer is a great place, but if you don't see any research going on that grabs you, talk to any professors who've inspired you! They may have need of a student, or a project they've been thinking about!